Guardian and Washing Post win Pulitzer Prize NSA revelation .

It  is   enough  is  enough  ,No  need   to    commend   ! 
God   bless   with   them  ! 

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Guardian and Washington Post win Pulitzer prize for NSA revelations

Pair awarded highest accolade in US journalism, winning Pulitzer prize for public service for stories on NSA surveillance

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• Ed Pilkington in New York
• The Guardian, Monday 14 April 2014 20.01 BST
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The Guardian revealed the NSA's bulk collection of phone records 10 months ago based on Edward Snowden's leaks. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The Guardian and the Washington Post have been awarded the highest accolade in US journalism, winning the Pulitzer prize for public service for their groundbreaking articles on the National Security Agency’s surveillance activities based on the leaks of Edward Snowden.

The award, announced in New York on Monday, comes 10 months after the Guardian published the first report based on the leaks from Snowden, revealing the agency’s bulk collection of US citizens’ phone records.

In the series of articles that ensued, teams of journalists at the Guardian and the Washington Post published the most substantial disclosures of US government secrets since the Pentagon Papers on the Vietnam war in 1971.

The Pulitzer committee praised the Guardian for its "revelation of widespread secret surveillance by the National Security Agency, helping through aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy".

Snowden, in a statement, said: "Today's decision is a vindication for everyone who believes that the public has a role in government. We owe it to the efforts of the brave reporters and their colleagues who kept working in the face of extraordinary intimidation, including the forced destruction of journalistic materials, the inappropriate use of terrorism laws, and so many other means of pressure to get them to stop what the world now recognises was work of vital public importance."

He said that his actions in leaking the documents that formed the basis of the reporting "would have been meaningless without the dedication, passion, and skill of these newspapers".
The Pulitzers have been bestowed since 1917, at the bequest of the legendary newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer who established the honour in his will as a means of encouraging publicly-spirited journalism. Awards were given in 22 categories this year: the Boston Globe received the Pulitzer for breaking for "exhaustive and empathetic" coverage of the Boston marathon bombing. Journalists in the Globe newsroom observed a period of silence on Monday in memory of the victims, a day before the one-year anniversary of the attack.

At the Guardian, the NSA reporting was led by Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill and film-maker Laura Poitras, and at the Washington Post by Barton Gellman, who also co-operated with Poitras. All four journalists were honoured with a George Polk journalism award last week for their work on the NSA story.

Investigative reporter Laura Poitras accepts the George Polk Award alongside Barton Gellman, far left, and Ewen MacAskill. Photograph: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The NSA revelations have reverberated around the world and sparked a debate in the US over the balance between national security and personal privacy. On the back of the disclosures, President Obama ordered a White House review into data surveillance, a number of congressional reform bills have been introduced, and protections have begun to be put in place to safeguard privacy for foreign leaders and to increase scrutiny over the NSA’s mass data collection.

"We are truly honoured that our journalism has been recognised with the Pulitzer prize," said Alan Rusbridger, the editor-in-chief of the Guardian. "This was a complex story, written, edited and produced by a team of wonderful journalists. We are particularly grateful for our colleagues across the world who supported the Guardian in circumstances which threatened to stifle our reporting. And we share this honour, not only with our colleagues at the Washington Post, but also with Edward Snowden, who risked so much in the cause of the public service which has today been acknowledged by the award of this prestigious prize."
Janine Gibson, the editor-in-chief of Guardian US, said: "We're extremely proud and gratified to have been honoured by the Pulitzer board. It's been an intense, exhaustive and sometimes chilling year working on this story, and we're grateful for the acknowledgement by our peers that the revelations made by Edward Snowden and the work by the journalists involved represent a high achievement in public service."
Among the disclosures were:

• the NSA’s mass dragnet of phone records of millions of Americans.

• the program codenamed Prism used by the NSA and its UK counterpart GCHQ to gain back-door entry into the data of nine giant internet companies including Google and Facebook.

• the cracking of internet encryption by the NSA and GCHQ that undermined personal security for web users.

• NSA surveillance of phone calls made by 35 world leaders.

The coverage of the Snowden leaks presented a particularly thorny issue for the 19-strong panel of journalists, academics and writers who recommend the winners. The stream of disclosures invoked strong and polarised reactions in the US and around the world.
In January, Obama said that the debate on the acceptable limits of government surveillance prompted by the articles “will make us stronger”. But other prominent US politicians such as Mike Rogers, Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee, have suggested journalism based on Snowden’s leaks was tantamount to dealing in stolen property.
Snowden has been charged with three offences in the US. He is the eighth person to be charged with breaking the 1917 Espionage Act by the Obama administration – more than all the prosecutions brought under previous presidents combined.
The Guardian's US operation, headquartered in New York, was incorporated as an American company in 2011 and recognised last year by the Pulitzer board as a US news outlet eligible to be considered for its prizes.

Last month Rusbridger was given a special award at the European press awards; earlier this month the Guardian was named newspaper of the year in the UK; and there it has been awarded other prizes for online and investigative journalism in Germany, Spain and the US.

The Snowden stories were edited from New York by Gibson, and Guardian US deputy editor Stuart Millar. The UK end of the reporting was led by deputy editor Paul Johnson and investigations editor Nick Hopkins.
Others on the team of journalists included Spencer Ackerman, James Ball, David Blishen, Gabriel Dance, Julian Borger, Nick Davies, David Leigh and Dominic Rushe. In Australia the editor was Katharine Viner and the reporter Lenore Taylor.
Among the other Pulitzers, Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of the Tampa Bay Times won for local reporting for their investigation into the housing blight of the city’s homeless population; and the New York Times’s Tyler Hicks and Josh Haner took the two photography prizes.
The Pulitzer for fiction writing went to Donna Tartt for The Goldfinch, while Annie Baker won the prize for drama for her play set in a cinema, The Flick. Become Ocean, a piece commissioned by the Seattle Symphony by John Luther Adams, won the Pulitzer for music.

All the awards are administered by Columbia University. The full list is here.

Thai Coup Leader Says , He has received King's Blessing .,

Thai junta leader says king endorses coup

        In   the  past  coup   attempts   in  Thailand   that  did not  earn   the  King,s  Blessing  ultimately  failed  to  overthrow   the  country's  sitting   Government  .
       The  86-years-old  Mornarch   was  not   in  the  Capital  Bangkok  and   did  not  meet  in   person   with  General  Prayath   .
      It  has  been   a   question  of   the  Chapter   Two  of   the   Constitution  of   the   Thailand   Kingdom  .

The monarchy of Thailand, (whose monarch is referred to as the King of Thailand or historically as King of Siam) (Thai: พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย), refers to the constitutional monarchy and monarch of the Kingdom of Thailand (formerly Siam). The King of Thailand is the head of state and head of the ruling Royal House of Chakri. The king's power is not limited to being a symbolic figurehead (see below), and the institution commands the respect and reverence of the Thai people.^[1]
The current monarch of Thailand is Bhumibol Adulyadej. The king has reigned since 9 June 1946, making him the world's longest reigning current monarch and the world’s longest serving head of state. Most of the king's powers are exercised by his elected government in accordance with the Constitution of Thailand. The king still retains many powers such as: being head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, the prerogative of royal assent and the power of pardon. The 2007 Constitution of Thailand Chapter 2, Section 9 (The King and the Faiths) states: The King is a Buddhist and Upholder of religions.
The Siamese-cum-Thai monarchy dates from the founding of the Sukhothai Kingdom in 1238, with a brief interregnum from the death of Ekkathat to the accession of Taksin. The institution was transformed into a constitutional monarchy in 1932 after the bloodless Siamese Revolution of 1932. The monarchy's official residence is the Grand Palace in Bangkok; however, the present king spends much of his time at the Chitralada Palace, or the Klai Kangwon Villa (Thai: วังไกลกังวล) ("Palace Far from Worries") in the beach resort city of Hua Hin.

Thailand Army continue crackdown after coup .,

 2007,Thai  Kingdom  Constitution  :  Chapter  Two   is   in  a   question  .
After  the  Thai  Kingdom  Army   coup   the   constitution  chapter  two   has been  existed  for  the   Thai  Army  to   protect  the   King  as   the  Head   of  Thai   Kingdom  .  The  Chapter  Two  of    Thai  Kingdom   constitution  will   be   the  question  of   the   thai  political   crisis  among  the  Thai   Political  Parties  . The  struggle   between   the   the  pro-government  and   the  anti-government   groups   or  the  red  shirts  and  the  yellow  shirts   group  as   a  long    time  being   political  crisis  in  Thai  people   .  The  ruling  party  and  the  opposition   party   can not   resolve  or   find  out  the   solution  in  democratic  process   . 
        The   last   question  ,  a black  September  for   the   Innocent   Thai  people  was   made   by   the   Thai   Constitutional  Court   whose   verdict   was   the   time-bomb  for  Thai   Kingdom  .
      And  than  ,  Thai Kingdom  Army takes   the government's   power
 in  complicated  method   without   time  table  to   declare  the  World  .

Thailand's military has ordered 35 more people, including prominent academics, to report to them by Saturday afternoon as the post-coup crackdown continues.

The move comes a day after the army ordered more than 100 politicians, including ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra, to come to the military council.
Ms Yingluck was detained in Bangkok on Friday and spent the night in custody.
Meanwhile, the US has suspended $3.5m (£2.1m) in military aid to Thailand and told the army to restore civilian rule.
Washington also urged tourists to cancel trips and halted non-essential visits by US government officials, following Thursday's coup.
Officials said Ms Yingluck would not be held for more than a week but insisted that her detention was necessary while matters in the country were organised.
Ms Yingluck, who had been PM until being removed by the judiciary this month, was ordered to report to the military along with more than 100 other politicians, including acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan.

 There were protests against the military's actions in Bangkok on Friday but they were relatively small

Thai military spokesman Col Werachon Sukhondhadhpatipak said Saturday that the politicians were detained to give them "time to think".
He refused to reveal where the detained were being held and said that their mobile phones had been confiscated.
Those listed on Friday who are yet to hand themselves into the military had until 16:00 local time (09:00 GMT) otherwise the "law enforcement will be decisive," he added.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

If the situation is peaceful, we are ready to return power to the people”

End Quote Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha Head of Thailand's army

He said those named on the military's new list had until 13:00 local time (06:00 GMT) to report to the army.

Col Werachon said the detainees were being encouraged "to find common ground" and that the army wanted "to change their perception."
On Friday. army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha met key officials and told them that reform must come before any elections.
Gen Prayuth summoned governors, business leaders and civil servants to the Bangkok Army Club.
Six of Thailand's most senior military officers have now been appointed to run the country, with provincial commanders supervising local government. 

Thai's Army Declares Martial Law , Seeks Peace and Order . -------

Thai army declares martial law, urges dialogue

           The  Phenomenon  of   Thai's   government   and   Opposition  Protesters  .
Thai's  Army  says  :  Declaration   is   not  a   coup ,  and   urged   rival   political  groups   to   come    together   and   talk  .  The  U.S.  ,   the   state  department   spoke-woman  Jen  Psaki  said  , 
   _ The  U.S.  is   "  very   concerned  "
   _ The  Thai's  Army   to   honor  its   commitment   ,to  make   the   Martail   Law   a  temparary .
   _ to  prevent   violence  ,  and   to   not   underminne  democratic  institutions  .
   _ And   then  ,  
   _ The  new  caretakers  government  remain   in  place  ,
   _ The   Military issued  numerous   orders  ,  include  shutting  down   a  number   of   Televition  and   Radio  Station   and   warning  that  anyone  using  social   media  to   incite   unrest   would   face  consequences  .
          I   think   ,  the   Innocent   Thai   People   would  like  peace   and   safety  life   .
          The   Democratic   System  is   not   for   only   Party  or  personal  Politic  but   also   for   all   the  innocent   Thai   People  .
        The   Thai's   Army   should  take   the  responsibility  of   rule   of   LAW  and   support   to   hold   a   free   and   fair  election  for   a   new  parliament  and  new   government  as   a   duty  of   the   Thai's   Kingdom  in  peaceful  mean  without  taking   a   side   of   the  Red  Shirts  Group  and   Yellow   Shirts  Group .
        God  bless  with   Thai's   Army  ! 
        Hope  Buddhism   Country  would   be   Peace  and   Safe!  
Thailand's martial law act of 1914   that   allows   the   Military   to  intervene    during   time  of   crisis  :    ---------------------------------
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
                                                                                       

• Gives the army chief control without PM's assent
• Grants the military full powers to:

1. Summon officials and individuals for investigation
2. Search and seize individuals or items
3. Order compulsory military service and forced labour
4. Prohibit assemblies, media coverage, advertising, public transport
5. Destroy "enemy" dwellings and build army barracks anywhere

Taiwan's Unsettled International Legal Status .

Travel alert issued before Vietnam rallies

             In  any  time   ,  The  Taiwan  Rlation  Act   ( TRA  )   and  existing  U.S. policy   will   be  changed   to   provide   a  framework   for   Taiwan's   full  autonomy   separate   from  Mainland   China  ,  or   Taiwan   Independence  .
            The  conflict  of  the   Taiwan   Relation  Act  and  the  Anti-Secession     Law (March, 14 ,2005 )  is    a  question  of   Taiwan   Legal   Status   .

Resurrecting Taiwan's "Unsettled" Status
The matter of Taiwan's international status vis-à-vis the United Nations is neither academic nor trivial. To counter Secretary-General Ban's edict, some State Department offices have begun to resurrect the long-standing agnostic undetermined/unsettled formula on Taiwan's international status. In June 2007, the State Department included the following phrase in standard letters to citizens concerned about Taiwan: The United States has "not formally recognized Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan and [has] not made any determination as to Taiwan's political status."[59]
This was the first time in 25 years that the State Department had expressed on paper that "the United States takes no position on the question of Taiwan's sovereignty."[60] However, a standard letter to concerned citizens was perhaps insufficient for the United Nations. In July 2007, the United States reportedly presented a nine-point demarche in the form of a "non-paper" to the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs that both restated the U.S. position that it takes no position on the question of Taiwan's sovereignty and specifically rejected recent U.N. statements that the organization considers "Taiwan for all purposes to be an integral part of the PRC."

Kerry to Russia : Don't Interfere Ukraine Poll. ---------------,

               Why   Top   U.S.  official   in  Kyiv  ?
              (  RICHARD  STENGEL,  under  secretary   state  for   Diplomacy  and  Public   Affairs  .)
               It  is  nothing  to   do  with  him  whom   will   be  done  as  political  crisis  interference  for   the  U.S.    Interest  .   The  free   and  fair   election  on  25th   May  is  a  Sovereignty   Structure  of  the  Ukraine  People  who   would   not   be   Interfered   by   any   Foreign   Countries  .   Don,t  forget  that   Kyiv  group   is   under   the  control  of  suppoort   by   the   U.S.  and   the  Uropean   Union  .
               It  is   a  question  ,  Who  is   interfering   the   Ukraine   Political  Crisis  ? 
               Self-Rule Referendums  ,  Self-Determination  and  Self-Defence  are   the  Transparency of  a   Democratic  System  in   a   democratic  country  .
              Don't   do   another   Proxy-war   in   Ukraine  !  
              God  bless   with  YOU ! 
It   is   too   late  for   25th   May   General  Election which   is  not   for   finding  the   solution  for   Unity   of   Ukraine   but   holding  National   Unity   Dialogue   including   all   Parties   in   Ukraine   without   foreing   corecion  is  a   PEACEFUL  MEAN  of  international  value  .
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

VOA News

Last updated on: May 14, 2014 7:11 AM

Ukrainian leaders have launched national unity talks aimed at diffusing the biggest crisis the country has faced in its modern history. The talks opened in Kyiv Wednesday, a day after pro-Russian separatists killed seven government soldiers in the country's east and amid unconfirmed reports of fresh violence.

Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk,  national lawmakers and regional officials, religious leaders and civic activists are attending the talks, part of a "road map" plan laid out by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The OSCE plan calls on both the Ukrainian government and the separatists to refrain from violence. It also seeks immediate amnesty for those involved in the fighting and talks on decentralizing the country's political system and on the status of the Russian language.

The separatist rebels are not represented at the talks. Turchynov sounded a hard line toward them as talks began, saying Kyiv would not bow to blackmail.

Turchynov said his government would use legal means to stop "those who, with weapons in their hands, are trying to wage war against their own country and impose their -- or, rather, the will of another state."

On Tuesday, pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine killed seven government soldiers in an ambush of a military armored column near the city of Kramatorsk.

On Wednesday, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-styled "people's mayor" of Slovyansk, the rebel stronghold in eastern Ukraine, as saying eight government soldiers had been killed and seven wounded overnight in a battle with rebels outside Slovyansk.

There was no immediate response to the claim from Kyiv.

'Close to civil war'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday that Ukraine “is as close to civil war as you can get” and that a solution must be found to satisfy all of its regions.

Lavrov said it is "ridiculous" to hold Russia accountable for Ukraine's May 25 presidential election, adding that the vote cannot be legitimate if it is impeded by fighting. He also insisted Russia has “no intention” of sending its troops anywhere.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday released satellite pictures showing Russian forces near the Ukrainian border, despite assurances from Moscow last week that it had withdrawn its huge military force.

Commercial satellite photos, dated May 9, also appear on NATO's Twitter account.  The pictures show helicopters parked near the Russian border town of Belgorad. A second photo, taken Sunday across the border from the embattled Ukraine city of Mariupol, showed what U.S. officials described as Russian armored vehicles.

Separatists in eastern Ukraine's Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared them independent states on Monday, a day after referendums on self-rule were held. After declaring independence, separatist leaders in Donetsk asked Moscow to consider formally "absorbing" the region into the Russian Federation. The Kremlin has not yet responded.

Moscow said Monday that it respects the outcome of the votes. But Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it expects the pro-Russian "self-defense forces" in eastern Ukraine to "react appropriately" if Kyiv agrees to halt "punitive actions" in the east and withdraw its military forces.

 

Rebel ambushSeven Ukrainian soldiers were killed and seven wounded on Tuesday when their armored column was ambushed by pro-Russian separatists near Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said.

It was the biggest single loss of life by the Ukrainian army since soldiers were sent into the mainly Russian-speaking east of the country to break up armed separatist groups who have seized control of towns and public buildings in a bid to further demands for autonomy.

The ministry, in a statement published on its website, said an armored column came under fire as it approached a bridge near a village 20 kilometers from Kramatorsk, one of several hot spots in the region where the army has had only limited success against the separatists.

About 30 rebels, who had taken cover among bushes along a river, attacked with grenade launchers and automatic weapons, immediately killing two soldiers and wounding three others, the ministry said.

Diplomacy

The incident took place on the same day Germany's foreign minister traveled to Ukraine to push for a negotiated solution to the country's crisis.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after arriving in Kyiv he hoped this week's government-sponsored "round table," involving Ukrainian politicians and civic groups from across the country, would help disarm pro-Russian separatists before presidential and mayoral elections later this month.

Steinmeier met with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at Kyiv's Borispol Airport before traveling to the southern port city of Odessa, where street fighting escalated into a building fire on May 2 that killed more than 40 people, most of them separatist supporters. The German foreign minister said the situation in Ukraine remains "dangerous and threatening."

The German minister's trip is aimed at supporting a "road map" for settling the crisis outlined by the OSCE.  It calls for both sides in Ukraine to refrain from violence, an immediate amnesty for those involved in the fighting, and talks on decentralization of the country and the status of the Russian language.

Top US official in Kyiv

Meanwhile, Richard Stengel, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, voiced strong U.S. support for elections in Ukraine, saying Russia could face more sanctions if it attempts to disrupt the vote.

"We want to help foster a free and fair election in any way we can," Stengel said in an interview with VOA's Ukrainian Service during a visit to Kyiv.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Richard Stengel (frame-grab) - Ruslan Deynychenko/VOA Ukrainian

x

U.S. Under Secretary of State Richard Stengel (frame-grab) - Ruslan Deynychenko/VOA Ukrainian

He said the U.S. looks warily at what Russia might do in eastern Ukraine during the election, stressing that both President Barack Obama and Kerry have urged Moscow not to interfere.

If it interferes, Stengel said the U.S. might consider imposing stricter or even sectoral sanctions.

Stengel also took issue with what he called the "Russian propaganda machine" distorting the real picture in Ukraine.

Moscow's efforts need to be countered, he said: "You have to combat lies with the truth, you have to combat fiction with reality, and that is something we are trying to do."

Stengel is also due to visit Brussels and Riga, Latvia, as part of U.S. efforts to foster greater regional engagement in support of Ukraine’s election, according to a State Department release.

Self-rule votes

The diplomatic push by Germany and the U.S. follows declarations of independence Monday by two regions of eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, where separatists held self-rule referendums on Sunday.

After declaring independence from Ukraine, separatist leaders in the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic asked Moscow to consider formally "absorbing" the region into the Russian Federation.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it expects the pro-Russian "self-defense forces" in eastern Ukraine to "react appropriately" if Kyiv agrees to halt "punitive actions" there and withdraw its military forces, as well as right-wing paramilitary forces and "mercenaries," from the region.

Moscow has not yet responded to the Donetsk request for absorption. It said it respects the results of Sunday's referendums and called for a "dialogue" between the Ukrainian government and the two breakaway regions.

The Kingdom of Thailand has been split to go down since 2006 .....

Court removes Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra

            Thailand's  Constitutional  Court  Wednesday  ( 7.5.2014 )   dismissed  Prime  Minister  , Yingluck  Shinawattra  and   Nine  Ministers   for  abuse  of   Power  . 
            The  court  has   played  a   key  role  in   deposing  two  others  Shinawatra -linked  government  in  recent   turbulent   years  .
           This   judicia  organ  has   intercepted  in   the   political  crisis  or   the   executive   branch  of  a  government  .  It   is  the  biggest  threat  of  the  democratic  system  in   a  democratic  country  and   the   Violence  of   the   Separation   of   Power  . 
          The  court  verdict   is  not  the   solution  of   the  constitutional  issue  which   is   not   existed  .  It   will   be  a   day  of   black  September  for  the   innocent   Thai-people  .
         Thai   Prime  Minister  ,  Yingluck  Shinawattra   is  not   an  Iron  Lady  in   Thai   Government   to   use  her   execution  power  to  over-come  the   present   political  issue  or   tension  which  will   head   to   another   Ukarine  Crisis  in   Thai-history  .

             God   bless   with   Thai  People  !  

Thai's   political  crisis  .                                                                        

The 2006 coup d’état brought a new constitution in 2007, drafted by the military. The new constitution did in fact include some improvements, such as improved access for citizens to the Constitutional Court and more stringent requirements regarding professionalism. However, other changes had far-reaching negative consequences. Presidents of the Higher Thai Courts now became involved in selecting senators and candidates of independent agencies. Higher Courts were also given the ability to propose bills directly to the House of Representatives. Moreover, they were given the power to dissolve political parties if they were found to be involved in electoral fraud. The main intention of these changes was to weaken the executive, making it much easier for members of parliament to initiate a motion of non-confidence.
The attempts of the Thaksin government to regain control over the Senate and the nomination of judges led to a backlash and an even more active involvement by the Higher Courts in ruling over issues of a moral, public, or political nature bringing about an erosion of the rule of law, as the concept is commonly understood internationally. Examples of the political involvement of the courts are widely cited, starting with the dissolution of the Thai Rak Thai party in 2007, and followed by the dismissal of prime minster Samak Sundarajev and the dissolution of the People’s Power Party (PPP) in 2008.
The empowerment of judges to appoint senators, introduce legislation, and dismiss politicians and political parties cleared the way for a powerful judiciary that can in effect substitute the traditional role of parliament in democratic societies, and which has thus conveniently obviated the need for a coup d’état by the Thai army.